I'm Getting a Home Studio!
I moved out of my Lowe Mill studio after six years at the end of December to regroup and begin working from a home studio. The new studio doesn’t quite exist yet, but I’ve been planning out my the space in the meantime. Eventually I’ll have a 10’x20’ garden shed in our yard, with two lofts (and adorable window boxes!) and a little kiln shed attached. Until I get everything set up, I’ve got a membership at DesignByHart Pottery Studio, including a small work area and access to their equipment, which has allowed for some really sweet late night work sessions at the Mill. I’m spending the rest of my time dreaming about the new space.
Here’s the shed I’m planning for:
Ain’t it cute?! Can’t wait to get some flowers in those window boxes. And to remove that She Shed sign…I won’t go into my issues with “She Shed” right now, but let’s just say I’m not a fan. (It’s a shed for gardening—anyone can garden!)
Check out that built-in shelving and worktable! And the windowssss
The process of building a new structure on property within city limits takes a bit longer than I expected, but I hear that’s just the way it goes with these things. So in the meantime, I’ve been planning like crazy. First, I created mock ups on my computer, but that wasn’t enough. So I drew out a mock up on graph paper, complete with moveable cut out furniture pieces.
Here it is!
All those arrows trace the clay as it moves through the studio; from bags of wet clay to finished inventory, I want the space to flow as simply and efficiently as possible.
There are foldout flaps for the loft spaces and the kiln shed:
Oh heyyyy, I’m getting a gas kiln, too! Gonna be doing some researchin’ and experimentin’ here soon.
The mock up studio layouts help me figure out what all furniture I have space for, but also help me ensure the studio is laid out efficiently, with clay flowing in one side of the studio and out the other. There are spaces for wet clay, my wheel, and unfired works in progress on the right, moving over to space for glazing and glazed work on the left, near where the kiln shed will be attached.
A few things I’m really excited about for the new space:
Inventory Shelf - For six years I’ve had a shop front, where most pots went when they were finished, spreading out across the gallery based on color or form or even price point. I’m looking forward to having all my work piled onto one shelf and making me feel nice and productive. But also I’ve got all my pots packed up right now, so it’s difficult to find pieces when they sell online, and difficult to just see what all I’ve got available. So a shelf where I can stack it all up, visibly, is sounding real nice right now.
Glaze Shelving - I’ve always had deep shelves for storing glaze bottles and buckets, which means they were stored several rows deep, making it hard to see what’s what and find what I need. So, I’m planning for some shallow shelves mounted to the wall, using some salvaged boards I’ve been hanging on to and just KNOWING would come in handy sometime. (Yay for light hoarding). The new shelves should make glazing SO much nicer and more efficient.
Kiln Shed - Even when I was working from my mom’s garage back in 2013, my kiln has always been right in my workspace, with ventilation, but no separation at all. That means I’m exposed to a little heat while the kiln fires, but more importantly, I’m exposed to any fumes that the kiln vent doesn’t take care of for me. In my studio at Lowe Mill, it wasn’t a huge issue because of how well air flows over the studio walls and those lovely high ceilings, letting the air clear out pretty well. But in a small garden shed, it could be an issue working away right beside a firing kiln, off-gasing chemicals and burning wax and such. Again, the kiln vents are great and help a lot, but a separate space is best when possible.
Private Space! - No one will be able to hear my music, or see me dancing through my work day, or interrupt my concentration with questions or great conversations, or even sales. Questions from visitors, conversations with friends, and sales are all obviously great things; but when they interrupt my happy clay time, it’s sometimes hard to remember that. Focused public time during markets and festivals is turning out to be really great, and much more pleasant! (I mean me, I’m much more pleasant with scheduled public time and a bit more quiet time).
I’ve still got a few weeks of waiting and then insulating/painting to do before I can move into my new studio, but you better believe I’ll be prepared when it gets here! (Maybe too prepared? IDK but I’m ready). Things will definitely need adjusting once they get into the real live space, but it feels good to have a plan.
Got any questions or suggestions for the space? Let me know with a comment!